ON WITH THE SHOW
GCA CLUBS TOLD TO PREPARE FOR FINALS
THE Geelong Cricket Association finals will proceed, but face the prospect of potential cancellation if a club is impacted by coronavirus.
The GCA yesterday took the unprecedented step of cancelling next week’s presentation night and remains on high alert heading into the opening weekend of finals.
Unless instructed otherwise by Cricket Australia or any government, the GCA finals will start this weekend, with clubs urged to uphold strict hygiene standards.
With spectator numbers expected to be well short of the 500-person limit for mass gatherings, supporters are still able to attend matches.
The GCA has advised clubs to consider cancelling training, or at least segregating their squads, to help combat the spread of COVID-19.
Any player who tests positive to COVID-19 must immediately self-isolate and remove themselves from the team.
Any teammates potentially exposed should also self-isolate and seek appropriate testing, the GCA said in a detailed club memo.
If a match cannot continue because of this, the higherranked team will be declared the winner in line with standard bylaws relating to rain and heat interruptions.
In a worst-case scenario under consideration at GCA board level, grades may be abandoned and no premier crowned if a club is severely impacted by the virus to the point where it cannot field teams.
Some of the hygiene guidelines clubs need to follow include no use of saliva on the ball, nominating a designated ball-shiner, no sharing of cups, no dunking into the communal drink container, avoid sharing equipment and consider celebrations other than high-fives.
The Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association grand finals are also planned to continue this weekend, with clubs to follow the same hygiene protocols.
GCA president Rob Vines said the association was committed to celebrating the season’s top achievers, even without the presentation evening.
While the expected crowd would be 250, the risk of person-to-person virus transmission was deemed large enough to cancel the event.
The association is investigating whether it could instead be live-streamed with only the award winners present.